Latin house is an electronic dance music subgenre that mixes together house

House music

House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...

 and Latin American music

Latin American music

Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...

, such as that of Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian, Puerto Rican

Music of Puerto Rico

The music of Puerto Rico has been influenced by the Spanish, African, Taíno Indians, France, and the United States, and has become very popular across the Caribbean and across the globe...

, Mexican

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

n, Dominican

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...

 and Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

n origin.

Origins

In the second half of the 1980s, some of the pioneers of house music of Latin-American descent gave birth to this genre by releasing house records in Spanish. Early examples include "Amor Puertorriqueño" by Raz on DJ International and "Break 4 Love" by Raze

Raze

Raze may refer to:* Demolition* Raze, Haute-Saône, a town in France* Raze * Raze * Raze , a fictional character in the Underworld films* Raze , a made for TV film aired on syfy...

. One influential artist was the Puerto Rican

Puerto Rican people

A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...

 singer Liz Torres

Liz Torres

Elizabeth "Liz" Torres is an actress, singer, and comedienne of Puerto Rican descent.-Early years:Torres was born in the Bronx borough of New York City where her parents had settled after moving from Puerto Rico. There she received her primary and secondary education...

, who released Spanish versions of her songs "Can't Get Enough", "Mama's Boy" and "Payback Is A Bitch".

1990s to present

In the 1990s a new generation of producers and labels broke into the market. Nervous Records released "Quiero Saber" by the Latin Kings, produced by Masters at Work

Masters At Work

Masters at Work is the house/garage production and remix team of "Little" Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez. They first worked together using the name, which had been given to them by mutual friend Todd Terry , in 1990...

, as well as "Everything's All Right" by Arts of Rhythm and "Philly The Blunt" by Trinidad. Strictly Rhythm

Strictly Rhythm

Strictly Rhythm is an American record label, best known for its highly regarded house-music catalogue. It is considered by many to be one of the genre's most important and influential labels.-History:Strictly Rhythm Records is house music...

 employed producer Armand van Helden

Armand Van Helden

Armand Van Helden is a record producer, DJ and remixer whose biggest commercial successes came from his remixes of the 1996 Tori Amos song "Professional Widow" , which reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in January 1997, and his own track "U Don't Know Me ", which went to number 1...

, who released "Pirates of The Caribbean Vol. III". Songs from the same label include DJ Dero's "Sube", The Tribe's "Go-san-do", R.A.W.'s "Asuca" produced by Erick Morillo, Rare Arts' "Boricua Posse", Escandalo's "Mas Buena" and Fiasco's "Las Mujeres" produced by Norty Cotto, Latin Kaos' "El Bandolero" and "Muevete Mama" and "Sugar Cane" by Afro-Cube.

During the same period (1991 -1992), Chicago native Pizarro produced "The Five Tones", "New Perspective EP", "Plastica", "Caliente" and "Perdoname". Other producers like Ralphi Rosario and Masters at Work created Latin house classics, for instance Ralphie's production "Da-Me-Lo" and his remix of Albita's "No se parece a nada" as well as "Sul Chu Cha" by Rosabel, while Louie Vega and Kenny Gonzales remix "Sume Sigh Say" by House of Gypsies (Todd Terry), and a remarkable Latin house hit "Robi Rob's Boriqua Anthem" by C&C Music Factory.

In the meantime hybrid experiments are put on the market by the likes of New York's Proyecto Uno, who combined house and merengue

Merengue music

Merengue is a type of music and dance from the Dominican Republic. It is popular in the Dominican Republic and all over Latin America. Its name is Spanish, taken from the name of the meringue, a dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar...

 in their LPs " Todo el mundo" and "In Da House". Their female counterpart is Lisa M

Lisa M

Marlisa Marrero Vázquez better known by her stage name Lisa M or her nicknames "The Queen of Spanish Rap" or "La Suprema" , is a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, record producer and dancer who fuses genres such as pop, merengue, rap, and reggaetón. She is known as one of first female rap artists...

 from Puerto Rico, who can be heard on the "No lo derrumbes" and "Flavor of the Latin" albums. Another merengue-house record worth of mention is "Así mamacita" by Henry Rivera on Los Angeles Aqua Boogie. Duo Sandy & Papo are known for their LPs "Sandy & Papo" and "Otra Vez".

During the mid-1990s Cutting broke into the Latin house scene and became the most representative label of this genre. Cutting's DJ Norty Cotto was deemed the most representative producer of Latin house. Among the various hits are 2 In A Room's "Las Mujeres", "Carnival" and "Dar la vuelta", Fun City's "Padentro" and "Baila", Sancocho's "Tumba la Casa", "Alcen las manos" and "Que siga el party" (LP) and Los Compadres' "La Rumba". Norty Cotto's mixed compilations also became classics. Fulanito

Fulanito

Fulanito, a group of Dominicans born in the United States, has received acclaim in Latin America for being among the first groups to combine Merengue , with about 2 million albums sold throughout the world...

and their LP "El hombre mas famoso de la tierra" is a good combination of house and Latin-American rhythms from that time.

Today many other Latino house artists have emerged to create many successful songs of this genre, and also remixes.

External links

• The Home of Latin House - showcase, reviews and forums on Latin House music.
• Latin House Message Board - a forum focusing on Latin House music.